


The Perks of Telepathy: How Mind Reading Will Save Your Sex Life

by KateLouisaRose



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Bottom!Erik, Cherik - Freeform, Cupboard Sex, M/M, Misunderstandings, Slash, Smut, Telepathic Flirting, Telepathic Sexting?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-03 00:43:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1724912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KateLouisaRose/pseuds/KateLouisaRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being involved with a telepath has its perks. Erik is definitely in it for the perks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Goes Without Saying

**Author's Note:**

> Brief warning: smut is on the horizon my friends, this will be a collection of short chapters about what it's like to sleep with someone that can get inside your head (and the unexpected uses of metal manipulation).

“So you see, if we were able to harness the raw energy behind your power and focus it in one area-” Charles was saying, gesticulating wildly as he paced around the large kitchen and set ingredients for pancakes on the counter beside Raven. Erik side eyed him warily.

“Does he always go on like this?” He asked conspiratorially. Raven gave a very long suffering smile as she mixed the pancake batter with one hand and moved Erik to one side with the other as Charles bustled past, chattering animatedly to Alex and generally just getting in the way.

As the task of breakfast progressed, Erik began setting the large table with plates, knives and forks. Charles had grabbed a napkin and was scribbling on it with a black biro, drawing a rough diagram of the suit Hank was working on. Erik controlled his desire to roll his eyes and distributed cutlery evenly around the place settings with a wave of his hand. As he passed Charles, bent over the kitchen counter and deep in conversation with one of his many protégés, Erik let his hand brush lightly against the curve of Charles’s arse. All he got in response was a slight jump from Charles and a whispered _Erik_ inside his head. He kept his expression neutral but let the memories of last night surface like bubbles to the forefront of his mind. He could sense Charles making a mental pass through his thoughts and felt, in some intelligible way, the notions of heat and embarrassment and desire like immaterial concepts flood his mind in answer.

It was a difficult thing, to consciously think in full, articulate sentences, but Charles seemed to manage it just fine. As they sat down to eat, Erik kept his gaze fixed on Charles, who was seated across from him in a plain t-shirt and pyjama bottoms. He put a forkful of pancake smothered in syrup in his mouth and chewed slowly.

_I enjoyed last night._ He thought, trying to direct it towards Charles without knowing quite what he was doing.

_Erik._

_I liked what you did with your mouth._

_ERIK._

Charles kicked him under the table and Erik managed not to smile in response.

“Delicious,” he said aloud, lifting his laden fork in appreciation. Raven thanked him smilingly and his remark was followed by murmurs of agreement along the table.

“Divine. Pass the butter, please?” Charles added, taking a sip of his coffee and resolutely not participating in the smutty thoughts that were running through Erik’s head. A few moments passed in companionable silence until Sean started up a conversation at the other end of the table.

_Want to try that again._ Erik mused. Charles stiffened in his seat and pretended not to notice. _Perhaps the other way round? Would like to see your face…_

Charles cleared his throat and hid behind his coffee mug, pink tongue darting out to lick the corner of his mouth. Erik scratched at the stubble on his chin and slowly cut up another piece of pancake.

_If you keep on, there won’t be another time._

He heard Charles’s thoughts clearly as the professor poured himself a glass of orange juice.

_Come now, Charles. Don’t spoil the fun._

_We’re at breakfast. It’s not decent._

_Didn’t think you cared about decent._

Charles broke their nonverbal conversation to shoot Erik a withering glare and wipe the corners of his mouth.

_Don’t be crass._

_Who’s being crass? You’re the one that had my cock up your arse._

Charles’s eyes went wide; he inhaled a piece of pancake and doubled over with a coughing fit. Hank, sitting beside him, thumped him very hard on the back and Charles waved him off, massaging his bruised shoulder with a grimace and a reluctant ‘thank you’. Erik smiled into his coffee and said nothing.

_Come on -_

_Shut. Up._

Erik cleared his plate and dipped a finger in the remaining syrup, sucking on it thoughtfully.

_You’re such a prude._

_I could make you drown yourself._

_You wouldn’t._

_I absolutely would._

Erik sniffed, crossing his legs and letting his bare foot brush lightly against Charles’s calf.

_Cause of death,_ Charles mentally recited, _being an outrageous telepathic tease._

_‘Tease’ suggests that I’m unwilling to put out._

_Flirt, then._

_This isn’t flirting, I’m not implying anything._

Across the table Charles raised an eyebrow.

_Really._

_No, let’s be friends. Good friends. Extra shagging guaranteed._

Charles choked back a laugh.

_As friends._ He replied.

_Exactly._

_Friends that fuck each other?_

_Precisely._

“Charles? Erik?”

They looked up, startled out of their mental confrontation by Raven’s voice in the silence that had descended on the assembled mutants.

“Yes?” They asked in comical unison.

Raven narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been staring at each other for the past three minutes without speaking.”

Charles looked at Erik. Erik was starting to panic but Charles laughed, clapped his hands together and pointed at Erik’s face.

“Ha! You blinked, I win.” The group passed uncertain looks between them but Charles stood up abruptly and gathered his empty plate.

“Who wants more?” He asked cheerily. A few hesitant hands were raised and Charles went around collecting plates. Erik’s eyes were glued to Charles’s arse as he walked away, wonderfully pert as it was.

Everyone in the room was rather shocked, however, when Erik lifted a hand and slapped himself in the face.

Everyone, that is, except for Charles.


	2. Don't be Afraid to Try Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featuring the introduction of the severely undervalued bottom!Erik

Charles groaned, rolled onto his back and stared dazedly at the high ceiling of his bedroom. A bead of sweat trickled down his flushed cheek and he lay for a few moments watching the steady rise and fall of his own chest until his breathing slowed.

“Well,” said a voice from beside him. “That was intense.”

Charles’ face cracked into a grin and he turned his head, lazily patting Erik’s arm.

“Yes, it was indeed.”

Erik propped himself up on one arm and looked at Charles as he dragged fingers through his damp hair.

“Have you always been so loud?”

Charles shoved him in the shoulder and Erik laughed.

“I could have sworn the walls were shaking.”

Charles hurled a pillow into Erik’s face with a satisfying ‘whump’ and snorted at Erik’s bemused expression. He didn’t see the carriage clock flying at his head until the last second when Erik shoved his face into the mattress and diverted its course. Charles stared at him.

“OK, that got out of hand,” Erik said slowly. The devious smile that Charles flashed him in return was the last thing he saw before Charles leapt on him and tackled him out of the bed and onto the floor. Erik made a pained sound as he fell heavily onto the carpet with Charles straddling his waist, fighting off playful punches.

“You know I always thought naked wrestling would be a lot more fun,” Erik managed to choke out in between breathless laughter. Charles raised an eyebrow at him and managed at last to successfully pin his hands above his head.

“Ah,” Erik murmured as Charles bent down and kissed him with a smile still lingering on his lips. If that smile had a taste it would have tasted like failure, because Erik was absolutely _not_ a bottom and was very much set on keeping it that way. That was, until Charles released his wrists and Erik remained stretched out beneath him, still unable to move.

“What?” Charles asked, hands either side of Erik’s head. “You thought I was afraid to play dirty?”

Erik tried to ignore the desperate throb between his legs again after what could only have been a few minutes and pretended to struggle.

“Now who’s abusing their powers?” Erik asked, slyly flexing his fingers and feigning discomfort. Charles wasn’t fooled for a second.

“I think I’m putting them to good use,” Charles countered, shifting slightly and resting on his heels. Erik’s eyes darted between Charles’s legs briefly and Charles smirked. One hand snuck between Erik’s legs and Erik arched his back, a quiet smattering of foreign words tripping off his tongue as Charles teased him.

“Do you want me to stop?” Charles murmured, bending down again so that Erik could feel the length of him rubbing lightly against his stomach. It took only a fraction of a second as Charles’s eyes glazed over and he smiled, looking past Erik and into his thoughts.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

* * *

Erik was just wondering how the private education system was to blame for Charles’s filthy mouth, and exactly how one would go about addressing an emphatic thank you letter to all of Britain when Charles spoke calmly into his thoughts.

_If you’re daydreaming while I’m shagging you I’m obviously not as good as I thought._

Erik grinned up at him, one hand finding Charles’s hip and pulling him closer, deeper, arching into him.

 _Please tell me they still spank you._ Erik thought distantly, accepting Charles’s tongue in his mouth like a starving man, hand in his hair and nails scraping his scalp.

_Now there’s a thought…_

_I will lose it._

Charles smiled against his lips and moved to Erik’s neck, biting lightly as he made his way down to his chest, body bent over him as if in worship, hips thrusting slowly. Erik was still getting used to having the use of his hands, fingers trailing distractedly across Charles’s back and over his shoulders.

Charles bent Erik’s leg, giving a sharp push into him. Erik cried out hoarsely, a string of profanity spilling from his mouth.

This time Charles didn’t have to capacity to make a quick retort, and could only lean over Erik and thrust desperately. Erik gasped, eyes closed, tension tightening every muscle, stretching him out like an elastic band until the moment that he snapped back as Charles gave a final stuttering jerk of his hips. Erik’s urgent shout of Charles’s name was lost in the feverish static of climax as white-hot pleasure thrummed through his body.

Charles followed him moments later, falling on top of Erik with trembling arms and his lips pressed into the crook of his neck.

 _Jesusfuckingchrist._ Erik’s thoughts were a muddle of illiterate swearwords and casual blasphemy as his consciousness returned to his body.  

“Uh,” Charles grunted in response and pulled out of him begrudgingly. Erik caught Charles as he tried to flop down beside him and instead pulled him onto his chest, one arm holding him there.

“That was -” he began, and then gave up on words.

“Yes,” Charles agreed. “That was very…”

“Mmm.”

* * *

_We can’t sleep on the floor._

_Lies._

Erik turned his head into Charles’s shoulder. He could smell his own aftershave on his skin.  

_Everything hurts._

Charles snorted softly.

_Is that in a sexy way, or a ‘we are never doing that again’ type way?_

_We are definitely doing that again._

Charles chuckled and sat up slowly and stiffly and with a great deal of groaning.

“Oh Christ,” he murmured despondently. “Everything hurts.”

Erik merely smiled tiredly and let his arm fall away from Charles’s waist as the other man stood up.

“What time is it?”

Erik gave that a moment of genuine consideration before lazily waving his arm. Charles laughed as the carriage clock rose off the bed and presented him with the time.

“I like this carriage clock.” He mused, plucking it out of the air. “It is the instigator of truly great sex.”  

Erik got painfully to his feet and rubbed his shoulders. “I think you gave me carpet burn,”

Charles waved the clock at him. “I think you’ll find the carriage clock gave you carpet burn.”

Erik ran a hand over the small of his back.

“Maybe the carriage clock can buy me dinner first.”

Charles wandered over to his en suite bathroom and flicked on the light.

“I don’t know about dinner, but are you willing to settle for a game of chess and leftover casserole?” Charles asked over his shoulder. Erik smiled.

“Why Charles, I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I'm not surprised if these two are sounding a bit out of character, please let me know if you have any comments that might help with writing them though! (Or if you just liked it, I'd like that too!)


	3. Bad Ideas Lead to Good Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles discovers the opportunities provided by hide and seek, and fails to spot the irony of having gay sex in a closet.

Charles had grown up in the Westchester mansion with only Raven for company, not that he would ever dare complain. Although united by their unusual abilities, it had been a rather lonely childhood for them both. For example, they could never play games together. A thousand rounds of hide and seek were ruined by ruthless cheating. Charles could recall the countless times he had been lured out of his hiding place by his mother calling his name, only to find Raven standing outside whatever cupboard or curtain he had been using as a hiding place, laughing merrily.

While Raven had forbidden Charles from reading her mind, he found that there were a variety of alternatives which made cheating that much easier. Being able to hijack the mind of anyone in Raven’s vicinity proved invaluable. Raven had learnt over the years to keep a keen eye on the nearby gardener or housemaid as she searched for a place to hide. In hindsight, Charles really ought to have issued Raven with a similar guideline to his which out ruled transformation. Trying to find his adoptive sister among a group of servants or staff when she looked identical to everyone around her was truly unfair.

It was true that hide and seek as a child had been rather dull. Hide and seek as an adult however…

* * *

“This will be a good way to train yourselves and your powers in a controlled environment. While you will not be engaging in any physical conflict, being able to pass unnoticed and undetected for any period of time is a useful skill should the occasion ever arise.”

Charles surveyed the room of mutants with a smile, his hands folded behind his back. He could feel Erik watching him with curiosity, and detected a brief and passing thought about how ‘quaint’ he looked in his cardigan. Without looking, Charles sent him the mental equivalent of his middle finger and continued addressing his students. He saw Erik’s smile out of the corner of his eye and pretended not to notice.

“You’re actually suggesting we play a serious game of hide and seek?” Alex asked sceptically, arms folded over his chest.

“Serious? Never.” Charles replied. “And I’m allowing full use of your abilities, within reason and with regard to health and safety.”

“Why did you look at me when you said that?”

“Because, Alex, if I have to replace another carpet with burn holes in it I’m going to confine you to the fire-proof bunker for the foreseeable future.” Charles replied curtly.

Alex sank a little lower in his seat.

* * *

Charles suspected that he could walk those halls blindfolded and still end up wherever he intended to go. A childhood home is so often considered a sanctuary, and Charles hoped that it would be this way for his students as well. He was also kind of hoping that they wouldn’t be the cause of its destruction within the next few hours.

“Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…”

Raven’s voice echoed through the house, accompanied by the scuttling and scraping of teenagers cramming themselves into tiny spaces and frantically trying to cover themselves with bed sheets and curtains. Charles smiled to himself, and Erik shook his head at his self-satisfied expression.

“This is a bad idea.” He said carefully, turning sharply as a door slammed somewhere upstairs.

“This is a great idea!” Charles replied cheerfully, bumping shoulders with Erik. Erik shot him a warning look as there was a distant sound of glass shattering. Charles’s face fell.

“This is a great idea.” He said again, though this time he sounded a little less convinced.

“You two are terrible at this game,”

Charles and Erik whipped around and found the corridor behind them empty.

“Up here.”

They followed the voice, finally spotting Angel tucked against the ceiling and the old wooden beams, wings folded against her back.

“Nice work, although I think that’s showing off.” Charles said as he appraised her position.

“Showing off?” Erik repeated, “Charles, you live in a mansion.”

Charles turned to glare at him but Raven’s monotonous counting reminded them that they were about to lose a game of hide and seek to a group of teens, and with one look they set off down the corridor, this time with a greater sense of urgency.

* * *

“Charles you’ve lived here your entire life, how do you not know any good hiding places?!”

“Would you be quiet? I’m _thinking_!”

Erik rolled his eyes in exasperation and then doubled back as something caught his attention.

“Fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight…”

As the counting continued, Erik paused beside a large window with the curtains drawn conspicuously around a large lump. He wrenched the curtain back and Sean gave a disappointed whine.

“That is appalling,” Erik told him honestly. “It’s like you don’t even care about Charles’s game of extremely serious hide and seek.” Sean grinned at him. Erik shook his head.

“You’ve got about twenty seconds to redeem yourself. Go.” 

As he watched Sean stumble down the stairs, Erik turned back to find Charles pacing around in front of a row of doors.

“What are you doing?”

Charles groaned, fingers pressed to his temple.

“Charles come on let’s just pick a room!”

“No no no, Hank is in there, Alex is in that room and there’s nowhere else with space for the two of us.” Charles replied distractedly, hands flying everywhere as he gestured to the mentioned rooms.

“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine… one hundred! Ready or not here I come!”

Erik sighed and picked the nearest door, which opened out onto a space no bigger than a cupboard. It was, in fact, a cupboard. He shrugged.

“Right,” Erik said brusquely, grabbing Charles’s arm as he hurried past. “In you go.”

There was no time for Charles to argue as Erik bundled him through the door. Raven’s footsteps could already be heard ascending the staircase.

Charles _hated_ being quiet. Erik suspected that it was because he was so used to not being heard. As he put a hand over Charles’s mouth, Erik released his arm and settled back against the shelves inside the cupboard. It wasn’t as small as he had originally thought, and there was plenty of room for the two of them to sit or stand comfortably. A few moments passed in tense silence as they listened to the creek of the worn floorboards as Raven moved past. She seemed to be walking away from them though.

“Do you always breathe so loudly?” Erik whispered into the darkness. Charles tore Erik’s hand away from his mouth.

“ _Yes._ ” He hissed back. Erik grinned and moved a step away from Charles, his hand running along the bare wall.

“Is there a light switch in here?” He asked after a pause. Charles, who had very clearly been holding his breath, shook his head without realising that Erik couldn’t see him.

“Better not turn the light on.” He replied softly.

“Right.”

Charles let out another breath. Erik sighed.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t hold your breath, it makes it worse.”

“Sorry.”

They stood awkwardly in the silence. Charles shifted from one foot to the other, trying to guess how far away Erik was in the darkness without making it too obvious.

“Erik?”

“Yeah?”

“I have a really stupid idea.”

“More stupid than hide and seek with mutants?”

“More stupid than hide and seek with mutants.”

“What is it?”

There was a creek outside their door and they froze. Charles held his breath again. Erik reached out in the gloom and carefully rotated his wrist. There was a barely audible click and the door locked itself from the inside.

_Good thinking._

_Thanks._

They waited. There was another sharp click as the door to the room opposite was opened and a triumphant cry broke the silence.

“Found you!” Raven shouted gleefully.

“Crap.” Alex’s muffled voice replied. There was a bit of rustling and then a second pair of footsteps joined Raven’s and the two moved down the corridor.

Charles relaxed again and the slightly more bearable silence resumed.

_So what was the stupid idea?_

_Huh?_

_Your stupid idea, what was it?_

_Oh._

Charles sifted tentatively through Erik’s memories, touching briefly on ones where they were together. He brought these to the surface like a series of racy snapshots where he was panting and crying out, sweaty and flushed and grinning. Charles placed a few of his own memories in Erik’s head too; images of Erik on top of him, the heat of a desperate moment, the sensation of a deepening kiss. Erik chuckled softly.

“You’re right,” he whispered, grabbing Charles around the waist. “That is a really stupid idea.”

When Erik kissed him it was soft and slow, not like the heated, passionate kisses Charles had come to expect. Erik put his arms around Charles’s waist, drawing him closer. Charles ran a hand through Erik’s short hair and kissed him back for all he was worth; pressing his hips into Erik’s and grinding a little as Erik’s tongue ran along Charles’s bottom lip.

_Good…_

Charles caught the thought in passing, and couldn’t tell if it had been spoken aloud or was merely a fragment of Erik’s conscious he was accidentally projecting.

_Good good yes good_

Erik undid Charles’s belt with his hands. Charles pretended not to notice the words that were swarming his head and shivered in delight as Erik’s fingers slid beneath the waistband of his boxers.

Charles groaned quietly and held onto Erik’s shoulder tightly as Erik stroked him gently at first with just two fingers running along his length.

_Erik, please…_

“Shhh,” Erik whispered in his ear. Charles fumbled blindly with Erik’s trousers, working the button loose and slipping a hand inside. Erik’s breath hitched but he made no other sound, his hand moving a little faster. Charles held the back of Erik’s neck while his other hand squeezed him through his boxers.

_Charles_

Charles pressed their foreheads together.

_Yes?_

Erik didn’t reply, his breath light on Charles’s cheek, their lips brushing. Charles moved closer and Erik took his hand away to let Charles push his boxers down and position his legs in between Erik’s, pressed skin to skin. Erik shuddered and his hips thrust unconsciously into Charles, the friction too much already. Erik unbuttoned Charles’s cardigan hurriedly, pushing it off his shoulders and hitching up his shirt, hands flat on Charles’s burning skin. Charles reciprocated with a slow roll of his hips, enjoying the pained moan from Erik.

 _Too loud._ Charles chastised with a sloppy kiss. Erik only moved his hands to Charles’s arse, squeezing. Charles bit back a groan and then stopped suddenly at the ominous creek outside the door.

“Charles?” Raven’s voice sounded confused.

Charles stiffened a little and pressed his face into Erik’s neck to muffle the sound of his ragged breathing.

“We can’t find Erik either; Alex has gone to check the garden.” Angel said from beyond the hall, accompanied by the soft fluttering of her wings.

“I’ll look up here again. There’s not a single hiding spot left in this place we haven’t checked.”

Neither of them dared move until Erik’s hand had found its way back between their legs, hot and tempting where it was pressed against him. Charles shifted very carefully, rubbing himself against Erik’s hand and making a strained noise as Erik squeezed him lightly. Erik pulled Charles into him with his other hand, hips arching into him. Charles brought Erik’s face down next to his, body tense and trembling against him.

“Hang on a second…”

Erik jumped at the door handle being jiggled and his hand flew out to hold the lock firmly in place. Raven gave a frustrated grunt and there was an almost imperceptible flutter of sound, like pebbles being dragged back by the tide as Raven transformed, and suddenly the door was being battered by the strength of a person twice Raven’s size.

 _Remind me again why you let them all use their powers?_ Erik projected.

Charles only waited, frozen to the spot with his body twisted in Erik’s arms and his fingers pressed to his temple. When the door finally burst open they were confronted by the towering form of an enormous wrestler standing in the hall. Charles gripped the back of Erik’s neck for balance, eyes focused and brow furrowed. Blue scales shimmered along the man’s body and Raven sank back down to her normal height; yellow eyes scanning the empty space calculatingly. After a few seconds she appeared to be satisfied and slammed the door again with a sigh, hurrying back down the stairs.

Charles turned to Erik.

“Remind me just how useful your powers were just then? Oh that’s right-”

Charles didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence because Erik grabbed him forcefully and slammed him against the wall, mouth locked on his in an instant. He laughed into the kiss as Erik shoved his trousers down his thighs and hoisted him into the air with his back against the crumbling brick. Charles kicked off his shoes and managed to untangle himself from his trousers, wrapping his legs around Erik’s waist and returning the kiss with the same force.

Yes, hide and seek with Erik was a lot more fun indeed.

* * *

“Where the hell were you hiding?!”

Charles nearly took a step back as he entered the living room, confronted by the incredulous expressions of his students and the outright indignation of his sister.

“Cupboard,” he replied, jerking a thumb behind him in indication.

Raven put her head in her hands and looked up just in time to see Erik sauntering into the room.

“You!”

Erik seemed nearly as scared as Charles.

“Where were you?!”

Erik looked at Charles.

_Help._

Charles shook his head very slightly and Erik grinned charmingly at Raven.

“Maybe I’m just very good at hiding.” He replied. “I have many talents.”

Raven surveyed the two of them and Charles tried very hard to hide his smirk behind his hand.

* * *

“So, what have we learned from this little exercise?” Charles asked, addressing the room once more.

“The first place people look is always under the bed,” Raven said pointedly, smiling at Alex. One by one the students fired off their lessons.

“Curtains are terrible hiding places,”

“Camouflage doesn’t work,”

“There are a lot of spiders on the ceiling,”

“Running away doesn’t count,”

“Never trust a telepath,” Erik finished with a private smile.

“Ah,” said Charles wisely, “now that one is not entirely true.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading! I have been googling cliche relationship advice to give me ideas for new chapter titles; stay tuned!


	4. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik is sent on a recruitment trip alone. Charles realizes how much he really misses Erik, and thinks the feelings might be reciprocated.

Charles had been grumpy ever since Erik had left on that trip; everyone was beginning to notice and Raven was on the verge of staging an intervention. She found Charles sitting up in bed late one night, a book open on his lap and a glass of whiskey on his bedside table, already half empty. He was staring unseeingly at the page, a smile curving his lips.

“Charles?”

He snapped out of his reverie suddenly, blushing a little and closing the book.

“What is it, Raven?” He asked, taking off a thick rimmed pair of reading glasses; he wore them sometimes when he was tired. Raven walked further into the room and sat down on the bed, one hand on Charles’s knee on top of the covers. Charles frowned and patted her hand gently.

“What’s the matter, Charles? You’ve been acting strangely since Erik left.” Raven asked.

“Nothing, I’m doing just fine.” Charles assured her, putting the book aside and giving her his ‘please stop worrying about me’ look.

“You don’t need to worry about Erik recruiting without you. You could go with him more often; we do OK on our own here.”

Charles scoffed before realising that Raven was serious. “Raven, darling, last time we left you here on your own we came back to fire trucks and police cars in the drive and three of you well on the way to being arrested.”

“I’m not saying we’re perfect…”

“Half of the garden was destroyed.”

“It was a game!”

“If you think it’s a good idea to play games with people given the nicknames ‘Havok’ and ‘Banshee’ we need to have a serious talk about your judgement.”

“Three words: hide and seek.”

“…touché.”

“Look,” Raven continued, pushing herself up the bed and settling back against Charles’s pillow. “I get that Erik is important to you but you moping around really isn’t doing anyone around here any favours. We need you, Charles. You’re our fearless leader.”  

“Ah,” Charles smiled, “that I am.”

Raven looked at him for another long moment.

“I’m _fine._ ” Charles reassured her. “Honestly you’re as bad as mother.”

“I am _far_ better than mother.” Raven said sharply. Charles lowered his head and nodded.

“You are indeed.”

“Get some sleep.” She commanded, kissing his cheek sweetly and walking out, closing the door behind her.

Charles fell back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

_What was that about?_

Charles jerked upright again.

_What? Had you forgotten you’d left me on telepathic hold?_

Charles rubbed his eyes.

_No. Sorry._

He turned around and rearranged his pillows before flicking off his bedside light and rolling over, staring mournfully at the empty space beside him.

_What’s it like there?_

_Dark, cold, quiet… are you alone?_

_Yes, why?_

There was a short pause. Charles closed his eyes and pretended that he was lying beside Erik and having this conversation. He hadn’t always been so needy, he reflected.

_Want to have some fun?_

Charles smiled to himself, opening his eyes again but instead seeing the dimly lit hotel room three states over, looking down at Erik’s body stretched out on the single mattress.

_Stop spying and answer my question._

_Alright._

_That a yes?_

_Yes, that’s a yes._

_Thank God, I’ve missed your arse._

_Anything else you’ve missed?_

_Your cock? Your mouth? That look in your eyes when you’re about to come?_

_Not my stunning personality then?_

_Well, you have your moments._

_Thanks very much._

Charles rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, fingers trailing random patterns on his chest.

_I miss your… arms._ He thought absently.

_…you miss my arms?_

_OK, what do you miss about my arms then?_

_Um, they’re very… muscular?_

_…you’re not great at this, are you?_

_No. No I’m not._

Charles had another peek through Erik’s eyes; studying the rise and fall of his chest and the way the handle on the dressing table was rotating randomly from left to right on its own as Erik fiddled with it impatiently.

_You’re annoyed._

_I’m not annoyed._

_You are. You’re doing that thing with the handle. You play with metal things when you get annoyed._

The jiggling stopped and Charles was forcibly pushed back into his own head.

_You’re not the only one who’s lonely._

Charles swallowed and guiltily retreated from Erik’s mind, imagining their reunion after weeks of separation and realising that he was, in fact, very lonely indeed.

_I know._

They lay in silence for a moment, not knowing what the other was thinking.

_What kind of fun?_

Charles knew Erik was smiling to himself without having to look.

_The fun kind. Take off your clothes._

Charles laughed softly and pulled his shirt over his head, struggling out of his pyjama bottoms.

_OK, now what?_

_Patience, patience._

Charles relaxed against the pillows again, one hand already on his cock.

_Are you taking off those awful beige trousers?_ He asked, closing his eyes again.

_Like you have any right to talk about fashion sense._

_I’m highly fashionable._

_In all that knitwear? More like highly flammable._

Charles made a dismissive sound, stroking himself slowly.

_You know I’ll never tire of your sparkling wit, Erik._

_And for that I am eternally grateful. Alright, tell me what to do._

_Hmm, I think we’ve established that I’m not very good at this sort of thing._

_Well then, why don’t you start by touching yourself?_

_Ahead of you there, my friend._

_Tut tut, Charles. This will be no fun at all if you don’t play by the rules._

Charles groaned deeply, thumb brushing over the head of his cock.

_When you get back, I’m going to fuck you into the mattress._ Charles growled, teeth bared, although he had not actually spoken. There was silence for a while, and Charles wondered if he had somehow managed to scare Erik away.

_Well,_ said a deep voice inside his head. _I think we’ve found your hidden talent._

_Oh?_

_Yes. Why don’t you tell me more about what you’d like to do to me?_

* * *

_And then what?_

_I’ll go down on you and take you as deep as I can. You’ll be begging to come._

_Fuck._

Charles grinned, hand working roughly on his own cock as he listened to the pained silence and heard Erik’s distant, rambling surface thoughts before he constructed an articulate answer.

_I’m close, come on._

_Imagine my lips around your cock._

That was the last thing Charles heard from him for a moment as he brought himself off with a gasp. He lay, sweating and restless on the sheets with one hand twisted into his hair.

_You’re better than you think._

Charles smiled tiredly and rolled onto his stomach.

_When will you be back?_

_Soon, I hope._

_Good._

Charles no longer cared if he sounded needy. He didn’t feel like Erik minded. In fact, the feelings might even be reciprocated.

_As great as that was, I think having you in my bed again will be a lot better._ Charles thought, dragging the duvet up from the end of his bed and settling under the covers.

_Yes, it will._

Charles looked out of his wide window at the moon that had appeared from behind the clouds.

_Is the moon bright where you are?_

There was another pause, it took only a moment for Charles to see that it was because Erik had stood up and was walking towards the window where the curtains were drawn.

_It’s bright. Bright and cold. I’m getting back into bed; my feet are freezing._

Charles glanced through Erik’s eyes and watched him turn the light out and get into bed, his room now lit only by the glow from the moon that bled through the cracks in the curtains.

_Goodnight, Erik._

Charles came back to himself, alone in his bed. There was a whisper of disappointment and regret through the connection he had to Erik’s mind, and then a thought that broke through it.

_Goodnight._

Charles didn’t dwell on what those other thoughts might have meant, and instead he closed his eyes and fell instantly asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm just going to carry on writing until I run out of cliche relationship advice, so there will be more chapters to come! (I'm also finishing sixth form tomorrow so I'll have a long summer before uni to keep this up to date!)


	5. Don't Go To Bed Angry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles misinterprets one of Erik's memories, which eventually leads to an important realization.

Charles hadn’t been this drunk in a long time. He lifted his eyes and stared blearily at the crowded pub; his vision was fuzzy and the sea of figures swam before him for too long before focusing. Erik was at the other end of the room, leaning casually on the bar as he talked to Raven. Charles paid for what was probably his fifth pint in a long line of various uncountable alcoholic drinks and staggered towards the two of them.

All around him the thoughts of the other patrons swarmed his mind. In this state he was unable to block them out. His subconscious reached out and skimmed each mind, like removing algae from the surface of a pond. The thoughts foremost in a person’s mind were often not the most savoury or well rehearsed, and Charles found that it was by wading through these rambling messes of emotion that he got to the good thoughts; the pure, untouched ones that lay beneath the murky surface. Charles couldn’t help but touch upon the minds of his sister and friend as he approached them, and smiled at the occasional recognition of Erik’s handsome features and charming demeanour picked out from Raven’s mind. There was a sense of admiration and respect there too, which Charles found rather endearing. It was the intermittent, sometimes indefinable sense of affection and friendship which passed between both of them that pleased Charles most of all.

He had nearly reached them now, one step away and a smile already forming when he stopped short. Frantically his drunken mind rushed back, tearing through Erik’s mind. The memory had been unmistakable. Charles searched desperately through Erik’s memories, knowing Erik could feel him but behaving tactlessly in his horror. Charles stepped back, thrown by the vivid memory of his sister stretched out naked in Erik’s bed. Of Erik’s response he heard only one word: ‘perfection’.

“Charles-” Erik started.

“Oh God,” Charles murmured, overwhelmed by what he perceived as his own blindness.

“Charles, please,” Erik said, one hand on Charles’s shoulder, reaching out even as Charles turned away from him.

Raven glanced between them, at Charles’s stricken expression and Erik’s horrified face as he watched Charles slam his drink down on the bar.

“Charles, what’s going on?” Raven asked, one hand closing around her brother’s arm.

Erik shook his head helplessly. “It’s not what it-”

“Not what it looks like, is it?” Charles asked, barely holding back his rage. “Well, Erik, I have a pretty good knack for this kind of thing, and I think it looks like you shagged my sister.”

“Charles!” Raven cried. Charles pulled free from her grasp and looked back at Erik, unable to keep the hurt from showing on his face.

“I’m going home.” He said softly, turning and hurrying away before either of them could do anything to stop him. As he reached the door it started to close quickly, as thought caught by a gust of wind. Charles wrenched it open and ignored the rattle of the hinges and the uselessly turning lock and stumbled out into the night air.

* * *

The house was silent on a Saturday evening. All of his students were out having fun. Charles staggered into the entrance hall and blinked away the darkness.

“Fuck.” He said rather loudly, and felt a little better for it. He wandered to his bedroom and fell onto the bed, closing his eyes and groaning.

Some time must have passed without him realising, because the bang of the front door woke Charles with a start. He sat up, mind reeling but having slept off most of his drunkenness.

“Charles?” Erik called loudly. Charles buried his face in the pillow, suddenly painfully aware of why he was alone.

There was a knock on his door. Charles didn’t respond. Erik tried the doorknob. Charles stared at the locked door determinedly.

“Please unlock the door.” Erik said wearily.

“A lock has never bothered you before.” Charles pointed out bitterly from within the room.

“You weren’t angry with me before.”

“Well maybe if you hadn’t had sex with my sister -”

“Charles, _please_ open the door.”

Charles got up and unlocked the door. Erik opened it slowly. It pleased Charles that he looked a little broken.

“I didn’t sleep with her.” He said quietly. Charles gently placed his hands either side of Erik’s face and drew him into the room. Erik followed obediently. Charles closed his eyes and drifted into Erik’s memories while Erik watched him sadly.

Charles watched as his sister smiled at Erik; he listened to their conversation intently and blushed at Raven’s forwardness. He would have been proud of her for that, if it hadn’t been Erik she was propositioning. He snapped back again as he felt Raven’s lips on Erik’s.

“’Maybe one day’?!” He squeaked. Erik rolled his eyes.

“Charles…”

“Yeah. Yes, OK.” Charles said, taking a step back. “Sorry.”

Erik looked at him, startled by how easily Charles could be hurt, how tenuous their relationship was if it could be shaken so readily. It surprised him that something so important could be so fragile. He guessed that really, all the important things are.

Erik reached out to Charles, taking him by the arm. Charles went to him willingly, letting Erik hold him by his waist and gripping Erik by his shoulders. Erik kissed him, and what remained of Charles’s anger faded with the touch of his forgiving lips.

“You’re an arse.” Charles told him.

“Yeah.” Erik agreed.

They stood there in the middle of Charles’s bedroom, arms around each other but still wrapped up in their own thoughts.

“So,” Charles ventured, “is it perhaps… reasonable to assume that we both feel the same about one another? At least where exclusivity is concerned.”

“I think that might be the understatement of the century, but yes. Yes.” Erik agreed.

Charles raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Charles, if a man is about to castrate me for even looking at another person in a vaguely sexual manner, I’m going to assume he likes me rather a lot.” Erik said with a smirk.

Charles surprised him by gripping his arse and leaning in, “Perhaps I just like knowing he’s mine.” He replied. Erik was rather shamefully turned on by the possessive note to Charles’s voice, and the only reply he could manage was to drag Charles rather eagerly towards his bed and let Charles climb on top of him and do whatever else he wanted to further stake his claim.

* * *

“You know, I’m beginning to like your jealous side rather a lot.” Erik mused, rubbing at the love bite that was blooming red and purple on his throat. Charles made some kind of affirmative noise where his face was buried in the pillows. His back muscles stood out deliciously as he struggled to catch his breath and slowly lifted his head up.

“How do I look?” Erik asked as Charles rolled on top of him, pressing kisses to the sore spots all over Erik’s chest and neck.

“Like you belong to me,” Charles replied simply. Erik thought that sentence really deserved some kind of reward. Charles’ surprised laugh quickly turned into a moan as Erik ducked beneath the covers and proceeded to give him what could only be described as the best blowjob of his life.

Jealousy, it seemed, proved to be a rather effective stimulant. Erik decided that he would prefer to keep both testicles for now though, so instead he revelled in the new knowledge that he finally had a lover he was happy to give himself to. The feeling was a new one, particularly when not accompanied by intense panic and the overwhelming sense of drowning. Erik reached up through the sheets and found Charles’s hand, fisted in the covers. He threaded their fingers together tightly. Charles came quickly, surprising them both. Erik spluttered a little but swallowed him down, resurfacing with a raised eyebrow. Charles only stared at him.

“What?” Erik asked, “Was it bad?” Charles hauled Erik up to eye level and kissed him meaningfully, legs wrapped around Erik’s waist. It suddenly dawned on Erik that while he had been preoccupied, Charles might have been reading his mind. “Oh,” he said, guiltily.

“I should bloody think so,” Charles retorted, and then they went back to kissing, both sharply aware of how much they could leave unsaid, if only they voiced the things that mattered.

As Erik slid a hand down Charles’s back, he heard the other man’s voice clearly in his head.

_I’m glad I found you too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I was struggling with ideas!


	6. Take it Like a Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles and Erik learn the value of locks the hard way.

Erik came running into Charles’ room and threw a pile of clothes at him. Charles gave a shriek of surprise and nearly spilled his tea before setting it down and glaring at him.

“What’s this?” Charles asked, picking up the clothes.

“Put them on.” Erik commanded impatiently. He shifted from one foot to the other and looked unnervingly excited.

“You actually want me to _put_ clothes on?” Charles asked with a grin. Erik ignored his nakedness pointedly and gestured to the clothes.

“Come on I’ve been working on this for ages.” Charles shrugged, got out of bed and pulled on the clothes. “Well,” Erik added, “I had a little help from Hank.” Erik grinned at Charles standing before him, fully clothed.

“These feel heavy…” Charles commented uncertainly. Erik shushed him.

“Stand still,” he said sharply. Charles did as he was told. “And don’t you dare read my mind.” Charles smirked and let his mind go blank.

Erik raised a hand and turned his wrist slowly, fingers outstretched. Charles made a choked noise as he was lifted a small distance into the air. He hung there as Erik gestured with a finger and the metal eyelets on his shirt undid themselves. Small metal weights in his sleeves tugged the shirt from his body and Charles laughed.

“This isn’t a very mature use of your abilities, Erik.” He said as Erik unzipped his jeans with another small movement.

“Who gives a damn about maturity?” He laughed, tugging the jeans around Charles’ ankles and pulling them off with a sweeping motion. Charles landed on his feet with a thud as soon as the jeans were gone, but Erik refused to move. Charles looked at him.

Erik winked at Charles and lowered his hands. Charles’ boxers dropped at the same time and he laughed, stepping out of them.

“Very amusing,” Charles conceded.

“Useful, provided you’re wearing the right clothing.” Erik corrected. “And I’ll be making sure of that in the future.”

Charles shook his head, dragging Erik down onto the bed and into a kiss. There was a hollow thud and they looked up at Hank, standing frozen in the doorway with a book at his feet, rapidly turning a violent shade of red.

“Oh God, sorry, sorry!” He stuttered, tripping over himself as he abandoned his book and fled the room. Charles looked at Erik in stunned silence.

_You didn’t lock the door._ Charles said as he narrowed his eyes at him. Erik opened his mouth to speak and received a slap instead. Erik rolled off of him with a startled laugh and buried his face in the pillow apologetically. Charles hit him again in the shoulder for good measure. Erik grunted, but he was smiling.

* * *

“Hank?” Charles called from outside the closed door. There was no reply, but the light shining around the cracks was enough to tell him that Hank was avoiding him. He set the piece of cake down on the floor. He was struck suddenly by the realisation that this was exactly as if Hank was a kid that just caught their parents having sex, except Hank seemed embarrassed enough for all of them and Charles was mainly concerned about how much Erik had been trying not to laugh as he made his way upstairs with the pitiful slice of cake.

He turned around, wishing privately for Erik’s ability to telekinetically pick the lock. Charles tried the handle and instead found it to be open.

Hank was crouched over a set of drawings detailing the inner workings of a complex engine, a pencil stub sticking out of the corner of his mouth. He looked up and let the pencil drop in astonishment.

“I brought cake,” Charles said pathetically. Hank blinked at him.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” Charles responded, putting it down beside him. “Let’s call it, ‘sorry you saw me naked’ cake.” Hank buried his face in his hands.

“It’s really fine,” he said, in a tone which conveyed how much it really was not fine. “I should have knocked, of course you have  right to do whatever you want with whoever you want in your own home, I’m sorry.”

Charles looked at him for a long moment. “I’m going to help you out here,” he said finally. He reached out, holding Hank’s head in his hands and carefully picking out the fragments of memory that contained the eyeful Hank had been bestowed with. It was tricky work. Charles tried wiping the last hour from his mind but then he looked down at the complex equations and notes on the paper between them and gingerly replaced the pieces of memory that held the understanding of the work Hank had been doing. Some things were far too difficult to attempt; one could never know when the person they were working with might have had an epiphany or life changing thought which was bound up in the memories you wanted to erase, and so chalking out large sections of memory was dodgy at best.

Hank snapped out of it as Charles removed his hands, sitting back on his heels. Hank blinked at him dazedly. “Thank you?” He said uncertainly, and Charles was sure that Hank had no clue what he was thanking him for.

“You’re welcome,” Charles smiled, “eat the cake.” And then he left, turning down the corridor and heading into his own bedroom. Then he paused.

Charles retraced his steps. He reached for the handle to Erik’s room, but found that it was already turning before he could grasp it. The latch clicked softly and Charles felt a swell of affection at the little gesture of assent and trust.

“Erik?” Charles said into the darkness.

“No.” Erik replied sarcastically. Charles grinned. “Get in here,” his voice was low and inviting. Charles shut the door behind him and stumbled blindly across the room until warm hands grabbed him around the waist and pulled him into Erik’s lap.

“I want to make it up to you,” Erik murmured, “for dealing with Hank.”

“Yes?” Charles responded playfully.

“Yes,” Erik said, rolling Charles onto his back. They kissed slowly in the quiet room, like the darkness itself was silencing the world outside.

“He won’t remember,” Charles explained as they broke for a second. Erik nodded.

“Good. I felt sorry for him having to see your naked arse.” Charles choked out an indignant laugh and struggled out from underneath Erik.

“Well in that case,” Charles pretended to get out of the bed, but Erik grabbed his arm and tackled him onto his back, lying on top of him stubbornly.

“I, on the other hand, have no problem with your naked arse.” Erik continued. “In fact, I’d like to get better acquainted with it.” Charles shoved him in the chest, grinning. He looked up at Erik and sighed, running his hands down Erik’s arms, holding his wrists.

“I’m OK with that,” Charles responded softly. Erik laughed, and the rest of the night passed in a rush of heat and urgency. The morning broke the two men apart and sent them to their separate rooms, like every morning before, drunk on each other and still tasting the dregs of passion on their tongues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still going! I've got a few chapters on the go at the moment so it's taken me a while to actually finish one.


	7. Off the Top of My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a hot summer's day Charles has a few unexpected tricks up his sleeve.

The air was thick and humid; Charles lay sprawled beside Erik on the lawn, bathed in the shade from a large tree. Raven sat herself down between them and sipped her cocktail.

“I must say I’m rather enjoying this whole ‘school for mutants’ set up.” Charles raised his head and regarded her wearily. “At least we get to pick our own holidays now,” Raven clarified, stretching out on her belly and slipping on a pair of sunglasses.

“Why is it so hot?” Erik grumbled, the morning paper resting on his face. It rustled as he spoke.

“I don’t know but it’s horrible.” Charles murmured.

“It’s nice.” Raven replied firmly, closing her eyes.

“It’s sticky.” Charles said stubbornly.

Erik rolled over and kicked off his shoes, plucking uselessly at his t-shirt and stealing a sip of Raven’s drink.

“An Iced Tea would be divine.” Charles said wistfully.

“Is there anyone in the kitchen? You could make them bring it to you.” Erik suggested. Charles pressed his fingertips to his temple and shook his head.

“No,”

“Well then, what good are you?”

“Shut up.”

“Boys, please stop flirting.” Raven drawled. Charles spluttered indignantly and Erik raised an eyebrow.

_Shut up._ Charles said angrily into Raven’s mind.

“Charles,” Raven replied aloud, “it’s far too hot for me to hit you so could you just _not._ ”

Erik smirked and turned over again, staring at the sky.

“Not to put a dampener on things,” he said slowly, “but I think we should head inside.” Thunder rolled in the distance and Charles and Raven looked up, seeing the dark clouds for the first time as they spilled across the sky.

“I love summer storms!” Raven cried gleefully. The sudden torrential downpour caught them by even greater surprise. Charles covered his head with his arms as they ran towards the house.

“Are you really sure about that?” He called, but Raven just laughed, feet splashing in the quickly forming puddles. They slammed the back door behind them, panting and giggling like children. The doors shook with desperate knocking moments later as someone pounded on the wood.

“Hey! Let me in!” Sean cried. They opened the door and Sean Cassidy fell into the room, soaked already.

“Anyone else out there?” Erik asked, running a hand though his wet hair. Charles swallowed thickly and turned away, face already flushed with adrenalin and sudden arousal.

“Nah, everyone’s in the library. Hank’s got a pack of cards and they’re playing for money this time.” Charles opened his mouth to object. “Not real money,” Sean clarified, “coins, mostly.” He shook his head.

“You go ahead,” Erik prompted, eyeing Charles. “I’m going to work out for a bit, now that the air’s cleared.”

“I’ve got some editing to do on another paper, actually.” Charles added cheerfully. “You lot have fun, just please don’t bet my family heirlooms this time, Raven.” Raven smiled sweetly at him and waved them both off.

“We’ll be OK,” Charles frowned at her, but already his mind was clouded by the thought of being alone with Erik, and so he didn’t argue when Raven skipped into the library with Sean, and instead took the stairs two at a time, Erik at his side.

Charles slid his hand into Erik’s as they reached the landing, wet fingers lacing together. They stumbled into Charles’s room, since his was the closest. Erik could hardly wait until the door was closed behind them to start pulling off Charles’ clothes. They ended up in the large chair beside the fireplace, Erik sitting in Charles’s lap, both of them shirtless and breathless, kissing frantically.

“Wait,” Charles gasped, “wait, wait.”

“What is it?” Erik murmured, kissing along Charles’ jaw. He only had time to see the flash of mischief in Charles’s eyes before there was a hand on his shoulder and he fell out of the chair. He looked up at the two men standing over him, identical copies of one another. He looked to the one on the left, confused.

“Charles?” He said slowly. The one on the right spoke first.

“After I saw what Emma Frost was able to do with her abilities, I’ve been working on something similar. Only, this will be a lot more fun for you than it was for the man she seduced.” The Charles clone said, hauling Erik to his feet. Erik stared at him, at the man that simultaneously was and was not Charles Xavier.

“Oh?” Was all he could say before Charles leaned in and kissed him. Or at least, he thought it was Charles. Erik staggered back, surprised again by another identical pair of hands on his waist to steady him. He looked between the three copies of Charles and grinned.

“I think this will be a lot of fun indeed.”

* * *

Erik threw his head back and groaned, hands grasping for something to hold onto. He grabbed a fistful of Charles’s hair, fingers digging into his scalp as Charles took him deeper. Another Charles ran his hands along Erik’s shoulders, placing kisses along his neck and murmuring filthy things in his ear.

“Fuck,” Erik moaned, accepting a lingering kiss from a familiar pair of lips. He gasped again, his orgasm a flare of heat that started low in his belly and spread through his body in shockwaves. Erik ran quivering fingers through Charles’s hair as a different Charles curled against his side. Erik looked around at the smiling faces and grinned, tugging Charles into a kiss which quickly dissolved into the frantic thrust of Charles’s hips against Erik’s thigh and his own shaky climax leaving him trembling in Erik’s arms.

“Can’t fake that, can you?” Erik murmured, wrapping Charles in his arms. Charles, smiled contentedly as the duplicates faded in Erik’s peripheral vision. “But you’re right,” Erik conceded. “That was a lot of fun.” Charles grinned at something behind Erik, and then someone tapped him on the shoulder. Erik turned around. 

"Yes," said the real Charles. "It was." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to LoveSickPrincess for the idea!


	8. Don't Keep Him In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie Night at the Xavier mansion gets a bit heated...

“F-f-fuck,” Charles gasped, knuckles white as he gripped the shaking metal frame of the bed. He heard Erik laugh from behind him and pushed back into him.

“Use your words, Charles.” Erik replied, his voice a little strained.

“Fuck you,” Charles bit out, a guttural moan tearing from his throat.

“I already am.” Erik pointed out, large hands holding his hips firmly as he thrust harder. Charles cried out, panting hard and bowing his head, meeting Erik thrust for thrust. The metal frame in his hands began to buckle, the light fitting above their heads shaking violently. The weights Erik had set on their stand across the room lifted a metre into the air and hovered there.

_Erik._ Charles warned wordlessly, feeling Erik’s thighs quivering, hands shaking as he fucked him harder. Erik refused him, and Charles felt his knees buckle as Erik hit his prostate.

_Stop._ Charles said again, one hand finding Erik’s hip and holding him still. Charles pushed Erik away from him and then turned him around, pinning him to the mattress with a knee on his chest.

“Relax,” he commanded, although he was breathing heavily. Erik looked up at him, hands still touching him everywhere they could. His eyes were wild, but as Charles sank down onto him and began moving against him, eyes closed and mouth slack in pleasure, the weights across the room crashed to the floor and Erik moaned softly.

* * *

“Erik?”

He was jolted out of his daydream by Charles’s gentle nudge in his ribs. In front of them the film was still playing; the other mutants gathered around to watch. Raven had her legs in Charles’s lap, and Sean was passing a bowl of popcorn to Alex. It was all very…normal.

Charles had dimmed the lights, deciding that they were all going to have a nice, relaxing evening. Erik didn’t care for the film, but his affection for Charles forced him to sit there in the dark and watch the screen that would occasionally jolt with static. When this happened, Charles had only to mentally prod Hank, who was nearest to the set, and Hank would smack the side of the television with the heel of his hand until the picture settled. How mundane it all was, how very different to how Erik thought his life would be.

_Bored already?_

Erik smiled, not looking at Charles.

_Wishful thinking._ He responded.

_I can see that._ Charles said, his hand brushing Erik’s thigh where it rested between them. During sex Erik was frantic, brutal, far from the calm and controlled façade Charles had grown accustomed to. Charles made no secret of the fact that he revelled in this break in character, and could easily lose himself in the harsh strike of Erik’s hips as he pounded into him. He loved to get inside his head, to see such bright, clear and instinctual urges without the mask of words or pretence. Telepathy was more than communication, more than a quick route of understanding; it was inextricably intimate.To know exactly what Erik wanted to do to him, wanted done to him, thrilled Charles.

Erik snuck a hand behind Charles, untucking the crisp white shirt and sliding his hand beneath to stroke absent-mindedly at the bare skin if Charles’s lower back. Charles responded with a sly glance in Erik’s direction, deliberately conjuring images of that morning and the hazy, dream-like sex of hours before. Erik seemed to have the equivalent of a telepathic stutter, back straightening in surprise at the vivid sensory memories Charles had stored for moments such as these. On the screen, Grace Kelly was smiling demurely and successfully holding the attention of everyone else besides them.

Charles placed a hand on Erik’s leg, fingers trailing along the seam of his jeans, running up the inside of his thigh.

_Tease._ Erik thought, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from gasping when Charles’ fingers touched his cock lightly through his trousers. Erik strained towards him as Charles slowly rubbed his palm along his length, the sensation frustratingly hindered by the fabric of his jeans. Charles’s hand idled on his zip nonchalantly.

_Come on._ Erik willed.

_I’m not jerking you off in our living room, Erik darling._

_It’s dark._

_I doubt you’d be able to control yourself._

Erik cleared his throat loudly and moved a pillow into his lap, trapping Charles’s hand beneath it.

Charles looked at him, eyes flashing white in the glare from the television screen. Erik tried hard to block Charles as he seized control of his muscles and mentally forced Erik to release his hand.

_You spoil all the fun._ Erik grumbled.

_You spoil it for yourself._

_What do you want from me? ‘Bad Erik, no more discreet hand jobs for you.’_

_Patience is a virtue._

Erik sighed, leaning a little into Charles’ side and stroking his hand across Charles’s back again, thumb running along his spine, counting the vertebrae. Charles allowed Erik his little exploration, one hand on Raven’s ankle where her legs were crossed in his lap. Charles enjoyed how tactile Erik had become with him, arching away from him for a second with a surprised gasp, loathed to admit to Erik that he had just found a ticklish spot on his side. Erik grinned at him in the darkness; his warm hand closing around Charles’s hip as he tentatively pulled him a little closer. It was like their equivalent of making the move during a date at the cinema. Charles placed his hand on Erik’s thigh again without trying to be suggestive, and squeezed gently. Erik leaned forwards and snagged the bowl of popcorn out of Sean’s hands, tossing a piece in the air and catching it in his mouth. Raven clapped delightedly. Charles peeked into Erik’s mind, sensitive to the one emotion that surfaced before all else; contentment.

* * *

It took far too long for everyone to go to bed. Erik was pressed against Charles from shoulder to ankle, desperate to touch and taste him, tension rolling off of him in waves. When the door was shut behind Hank, the last to leave, Charles turned off the television and climbed eagerly into Erik’s lap, practically purring with delight. Erik groaned, stripping Charles’ shirt from his body and tackling him onto his back.

“You drive me crazy,” he drawled, pressing wet kisses to Charles’s exposed throat. Charles grinned, tilting his head back.

“Really?” He breathed, unbuttoning Erik’s shirt and holding him by his hips, grinding against him.

“I want to fuck you naked on this sofa.” Erik said by way of answer, his voice a low, crooning rumble that sent shocks of desire through Charles. Erik ran a hand through Charles’s hair, doing away with the natural waves and leaving it standing up in unruly tufts. He kissed Charles deeply, tongue sliding with his and body pressed hotly against every inch of Charles, incensed by the greedy way that Charles continued to undress him, one hand inside Erik’s jeans.

“So fucking gorgeous,” Erik muttered, every delicious thought that entered his head making its way to his mouth without any preamble.

“How would you like me?” Charles teased, lips brushing Erik’s ear. “Would you like me on my back? Would you like to fuck me on my hands and knees?”

Erik let out a wordless sob, struggling out of his jeans and tugging Charles’s trousers down, sitting back on his heels and lingering for an appreciative moment above Charles’s cock before taking it into his mouth. Charles gasped, his hand going to the back of Erik’s neck and squeezing tightly.

“Erik,” he breathed, “yes, _yes.”_

Erik slid a hand up Charles’s chest, thumb rubbing over his nipple. Charles smiled widely, eyes closed. Erik had never seen him so relaxed, so open. As an afterthought he reached out with his powers and absently locked the door to the living room, which made Charles laugh softly, hand carding through Erik’s hair. Erik loved sucking him off, but he pulled away prematurely and kissed at Charles’ slick thighs, wiping the corners of his mouth with an obscene grin as he crawled back up Charles’s body.

_Why did you stop?_ Charles said into his mind as Erik kissed him filthily, leaving Charles’ lips bitten red.

“I’ve got plans for you,” Erik answered out loud, shuddering as Charles worked a hand between them. Charles licked his lips, studying Erik intensely.

“God, your lips,” Erik sighed, “you could never be a straight man with those lips.” He took Charles’ bottom lip between his teeth for emphasis, dragging him into another heated kiss. “They were made for sucking cock.” He growled, and Charles murmured his agreement.

“Why don’t you let me demonstrate?”

“Oh,” Erik smirked, “I’m not quite finished yet.”

They jerked apart at the sudden rattle of the door handle. Erik relaxed almost instantly, sure that nobody could get in. Charles sat up as they heard the jangle of keys.

“Oh fuck.” Erik blurted. Charles stroked a hand down his arm.

_I’ve got it._

Erik stared at him, one hand already reaching for his jeans. Raven unlocked the door and stepped into the room with a confused expression, striding purposefully towards the sofa. Erik shot a panicked glance at Charles, who had his fingers pressed to his temple and his eyes fixed on his sister in concentration. Raven walked directly towards them, stopping just a foot away and bending down to pick up her discarded jumper before straightening up and casting a wary glance over to the sofa.

_Walk away._ Erik heard distantly from Charles. _Walk AWAY._

Raven frowned, as though there was something she couldn’t quite get her eyes to focus on. Erik held his breath. Shrugging, Raven turned and walked out. Charles sagged against the cushions and Erik buried his face in Charles’ neck, grinning.

“The perks of telepathy,” Charles said. They went back to kissing, and Erik couldn’t help the smile that stayed on his face. Perks indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end, I'm afraid to say! Apologies for the late update, I just started uni and everything has been a bit hectic. I'll still be writing (since my degree is English with Creative Writing) but I'm not sure how much of that will be fan fiction. I'll endeavor to do my best though! Thanks for reading!


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